CANNON FODDER

ARSENAL face a nightmare run up to the North London derby compared to Tottenham.

The Gunners are still fighting for silverware in both the Premier League and Champions League.

April will prove to be a pivotal month in their hopes of landing either, with crucial fixtures in both competitions.

Meanwhile, Spurs only have to focus their energy on the fight for the Prem’s Champions League spots, the last of which they currently occupy with a six-point gap to Manchester United.

And this has led to a dramatically different schedule for the two sides ahead of the North London derby on April 28.

The last fixture Ange Postecoglou’s side will contend with before the derby is an away clash with Newcastle on April 13, meaning they will have a whopping 15 DAYS to prepare for the match.

On the other hand, Mikel Arteta will be juggling his squad with FOUR games being played in that 15 day period.

Following Spurs’ April 13 match, Arsenal have league clashes against Aston Villa on April 14, Wolves on April 20 and Chelsea on April 23, the latter of which is a rescheduled date.

And then there is the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final to consider on April 17 which will be played at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena in Germany.

And it means Arteta will have his work cut out managing the workload of his squad before the game, with at least SIX HOURS more football set to be played by the Gunners compared to Spurs.

The cause of such scheduling chaos is from FA Cup disruptions and the progress made by clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester City in European competitions.

Spurs were due to play Man City on the weekend of April 20-21.

But due to City’s progression into the FA Cup semi-final that game was postponed, with the Premier League yet to announce a new date.

So the scheduling chaos ahead of the North London derby could prove instrumental in the outcome and therefore have major repercussions in both the title and Champions League race — Sun.